


Photograph

by AllyThePotato



Category: Glee
Genre: Angst, Blangst, Famous Kurt Hummel, Fluff, Getting Back Together, M/M, Ten Years Later, older klaine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-13
Updated: 2020-10-13
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:22:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26994349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AllyThePotato/pseuds/AllyThePotato
Summary: Blaine hasn't seen Kurt since they broke up when they were twenty. When they see one another again ten years later at a New Directions reunion party, Blaine can't help but fall in love with Kurt all over again.
Relationships: Blaine Anderson/Kurt Hummel
Comments: 26
Kudos: 113





	Photograph

**Author's Note:**

> Based off the lyric "Let me photograph you in this light in case it is the last time," from Adele's song 'When We Were Young.' It kind of falls off that wagon, but I worked hard on this so it's going up anyway. Enjoy!!  
> xx Ally

Blaine watched from across the room. He watched Kurt dance with Rachel, watched him dance with Mercedes. He wasn’t looking in Blaine’s direction—either he didn’t know he was there or he was avoiding him. Everyone was surrounding him, hugging him, kissing him, dancing with him. Blaine silently watched it in a corner, sipping from his drink.

He hadn’t seen Kurt in person in about ten years. But he saw him everyday on magazines and billboards, on television. He could listen to him on Spotify, if he wanted to. None of that compared to finally seeing him in person, though.

He looked stronger—like he’d been working out. His hair was longer. He was more confident, his every move sure and certain. He looked happy.

Blaine was still watching him when suddenly Kurt looked up and locked eyes with him. Blaine’s immediate impulse was to avert his eyes, but he forced himself to hold his gaze. Kurt’s lips turned up in an infinitesimal smile. Blaine raised his hand to give a little wave. Kurt waved back and then turned to talk to Rachel.

The night continued, Tina pulling Blaine onto the dance floor for a few dances and polite conversation about how everyone was doing. Rachel had won her fifth Tony. Puck had been stationed in Japan for a year. Tina had starred in a movie that Artie had directed. Sam had lead the New Directions to their sixth Nationals win. Santana was a successful publicist.

Blaine hadn’t been unsuccessful. He went back to college, studied musical therapy. He worked with children at the University Hospital where he lived. But it still stung to hear everyone else’s success, in what they all had actually wanted to do. It was never Blaine’s plan to be a therapist—his dreams didn’t come true.

He pushed that thought to the back of his head as he was surrounded with old friends. Not the time to be bitter. It wouldn’t help anything.

He made his way to his corner again, content to watch rather than participate. Watch Kurt in particular.

He didn’t know why the man had all of his attention. He’d dated since Kurt. He had been in a relationship with a guy named Matthew for two yearsbefore they ended up breaking up. Blaine had wanted kids—something they disagreed on. So they broke it off.

But Kurt—he looked like a movie star…his voice was smoother than Blaine remembered.

Blaine began to say his goodbyes—he didn’t really want to stay much longer. He was tired and sad and just really wanted to lay down and watch _Grey’s Anatomy_.

There was a tap on his shoulder. He turned around, expecting Mike or Sam, but instead was greeted with Kurt. “You weren’t planning on leaving without dancing with me, were you?” Blaine just stared. Kurt poked his shoulder gently. “Blaine?”

Blaine swallowed thickly. “Okay,” he said quietly. Kurt held out his hand. Blaine took it with shaking fingers.

They swayed slowly to the music, even though it was a moderately fast tempo song. “So how have you been?” Kurt asked.

Blaine thought about what he wanted to say. He decided on the truth. “I’ve been alright, I guess. I work at the hospital now.”

“You’re a doctor?”

Blaine’s lips quirked up into what he hoped was a smile. “Not exactly—I’m a musical therapist. I work with little kids,” he explained. Kurt smiled.

“That’s great,” he said. “You were always great with kids.”

Blaine’s heart fluttered at the compliment. He hated it. “Thank you,” he said.

“Dancing like this reminds me of prom,” Kurt said suddenly. He pulled Blaine a little closer. “I miss it sometimes.”

Blaine didn’t say anything in response, he just let Kurt pull him forward. He took that as his chance to breathe in his scent—against his better judgement. Somehow, after all those years, he managed to still smell he same. Blaine rested his head on Kurt’s shoulder.

The song ended and they pulled apart. “You’ve aged well,” Kurt said.

“So have you,” Blaine breathed. He looked around the room awkwardly. “I guess I’m gonna go now.”

Kurt nodded. “Okay.” Blaine turned to gather his bag and his coat. He was halfway to the exit when he heard Kurt call his name. He turned around.

“Meet me for lunch tomorrow?”

Blaine hated himself for the smile that placed itself on his lips. “I—um—sure.”

Kurt smiled. “Do you still have the same number?”

Blaine fished his phone out of his pocket. “No—it’s changed…here.”

He gave Kurt his new number and then quickly made his way out of the building—finally.

By the time he got to his apartment he was exhausted. He pushed his door open and forced his way to the bed before falling down on it face first. “You fucking idiot—why did you say _yes_?”

The last time Blaine saw Kurt he was crying. He was _really_ crying, and he was angry. He was so angry—at Kurt, for breaking up with him. At their circumstances. But he was really angry at himself for letting himself get hurt. For not seeing the signs.

_Fuck it_ , he thought to himself. _Just fuck it._

_———_

The next morning Blaine woke up and quite literally _rolled_ out of bed, not at all eager to start his day. He took a shower and washed and blow dried his hair, and combed his curls. He’d stopped putting gel in his it about four years prior—he’d just started working at the hospital and one of the children said his hair looked stupid. Ever since then he’d gone without the product—and his hair was no longer called stupid by the youths he worked with.

He got dressed, a red polo and black pants, with a striped bowtie. He glanced at himself in the mirror before grabbing his bag and leaving for work.

Blaine was in shock at how quickly his day had passed. Before he realized, it was 1:30 and Kurt was texting him the location. He begrudgingly clocked out for the day and made his way to the restaurant.

Blaine hadn’t been there before—it never caught his eye—so he didn’t really know what to expect. He walked into the restaurant, looking around for Kurt.

“Over here,” he heard, and his eyes followed the voice—and saw Kurt sitting in a corner. He was wearing a blue button down and glasses. Blaine was shocked to see him dressed like that—so casual, loose almost. Ten years ago Kurt was always so put together, so exact and formal when it came to how he looked. But now he looked relax, completely comfortable in himself, and it sort of made Blaine smile. He sat in the seat across from Kurt, glancing at the menu in the process.

“Hi,” Kurt said.

“Hello,” Blaine responded.

It was quiet, then. Heavily so.

Kurt kept looking at Blaine with an expression Blaine couldn’t place. “So, how have you been?”

“I’ve been alright,” Blaine said.

Apparently this answer was not enough for Kurt. “Just alright? What have you been up to?”

Blaine tried his best not to roll his eyes. He must have failed, because Kurt frowned. “Sorry—It’s been a long day.” A lie. It had been an obnoxiously short day. But it seemed to satisfy Kurt. “Well—I’ve been working at the hospital,” Blaine said. Kurt looked at him funny. “What?”

“That’s all?”

“What else am I supposed to be doing?” he asked. Blaine felt like he knew where this conversation was going and he didn’t like it.

“I don’t know—have you been playing anywhere? Performing?”

Blaine took a sip from his drink. “Nope.”

The waitress came and brought them their food, then. Blaine was thankful for the distraction. It didn’t last long.

“Have you been dating?”

Blaine almost choked on his first bite. “Um.”

“What?”

Blaine was starting to become agitated. How could Kurt sit there like that—like the last time they saw each other wasn’t traumatic and disastrous. Like they hadn’t screamed and cried and Blaine wasn’t packing up his things. How could Kurt sit there and pretend like nothing was wrong?

Blaine didn’t say anything, just took another bite of his food. “Blaine?”

Blaine looked up from his plate slowly. “Are we just going to pretend here, Kurt?”

Kurt dropped his gaze. “Are we just going to pretend that the last time we saw one another we weren’t screaming? That you weren’t breaking me into little pieces with every word?”

“Blaine—”

Blaine kept talking. “And now you’re here, and you’re so happy with your big Broadway career and your Tonys and your perfect fucking life, just rubbing it in my face—and you make me dance with you and you look so amazing and ask me to lunch and you expect me not to—”

Blaine stopped talking. He shoved his plate away and stood up to leave, fishing a twenty dollar bill out of his pocket and setting it on the table to cover his portion. “I have to go— _fuck_ , I have to go.”

“Blaine!”

But he was practically running out of the door and outside—racing to his car. But so was Kurt. “Blaine!”

“Can’t you just leave me _alone?_ Leave me alone, Kurt!”

“Blaine, wait!”

“No. I’m going home where I won’t see you or hear you or smell you. I’m going home where you can’t fuck with my head, Kurt—you don’t get to _do_ this. I’ve worked so hard to get over you and then you just come back—it’s not fair…it’s not fair you don’t get to—”

Lips, then. A hand on the back of his head, fingers twisting into his hair. Green eyes stared into blue ones, both of them wide in shock and then there’s pulling away and Blaine was in his car and on his way home and he was crying the entire way.

———

When it rained, it poured.

**From: Wes**

**Why are you on this Broadway Gossip Website? (link attached)**

**YOU KISSED HIM??**

**Blaine.**

**Blaine????**

Blaine opened his computer and used the link Wes sent.

“Oh, fuck.”

“Oh fuck,” Blaine said again. He looked at the headline.

**BROADWAY STAR KURT HUMMEL SEEN KISSING MYSTER MAN**

He closed his computer, shoved his face into a pillow, and _screamed_.

———

The next day went by excruciatingly slow. Blaine was working with a particularly difficult child who never stopped crying, resulting in a pounding headache. After his time with her was up he went and found a corner sit in and attempt to just close his eyes and relax.Of course, this didn’t happen—a co-worker came and gave him a stack of paperwork he was yet to fill out. The only good part of the day was that no one cared about Broadway enough to check the gossip blogs.

By the time Blaine made it home, he was exhausted. He took his clothes off at the door and trudged to his bedroom. He was asleep within seconds.

He woke up to the sound of pounding on his door. He quickly put on a pair of sleeping pants and went to answer it. “Who is it?”

“Kurt.”

_Oh, my fucking God._ “Go away. How are you even here? Go away.”

“No.”

“Please go away.”

It wasn’t fair. Kurt showed up. He showed up with all his success and then had the audacity to dance with Blaine. Then ask him to lunch. Then fucking _kiss_ him—plastering Blaine’s face all over shitty Broadway Blogs. Now he’s at Blaine’s door. No. He wasn’t going to break Blaine’s heart all over again. That’s how this was going to end. Kurt was going to make Blaine fall in love with him all over again. And then he was going to shatter him all over again.

“Blaine, let me in.”

“No.”

Blaine left him there on the outside of his door. Kurt began banging on his door again. “Sweet Jesus,” he murmured. He tried to ignore for as long as he could, eventually he gave in and made his way back to the door. “What do you want?”

The banging stopped. “I want to apologize.”

Blaine opened the door. Kurt looked disheveled. His hair wasn’t styled to perfection like it usually was, instead it was thrown in every direction—and he was wearing sweats. “I’m listening.”

Blaine didn’t miss how Kurt’s eyes raked over his bare torso. “I’m sorry—”

“Okay, thank you,” Blaine cut him off and moved to close the door, but Kurt stuck his foot in the way.

“Blaine.”

“I really don’t want you to be here, Kurt,” he said.

“I shouldn’t have kissed you.” He pushed the door, and Blaine pushed back. “ _Ow_ —are we really fighting over the _door_ right now?”

“Yes. Go away.”

Kurt was never one to listen. Eventually Blaine gave up and let him in. He stood in front of Blaine, breathing heavily, not saying anything. “I’m sorry.”

Blaine looked at him blankly. “You already said that.”

Kurt ran a hand through his hair. “No—I’m sorry for everything. I’m sorry for what happened between us—I was stupid and young and I shouldn’t have treated you like that.” He looked around, searching for something. What it was, Blaine didn’t know. “God, Blaine—I don’t know how to tell you how sorry I am.”

Blaine looked at him. “I’m not going to let you just waltz back into my life and ruin everything for me,” he said. “I’m not going to let you break me again, Kurt. I couldn’t sing, or play, or even get out of bed some mornings. I’m not going to let you do that again.” _I’m not going to fall in love with you again, no matter how much I may want to._

Kurt nodded. “I understand.”

They looked at one another for a long time. Blaine was shaking.

Finally Kurt looked away. “I—I should go.”

Blaine was torn. If he let Kurt leave, he knew he’d never see him again. If he let Kurt stay, there was a chance of failure and picking himself up again. There wasn’t time to think—just time to act. To decide—what did he really want? Did he want Kurt to stay?

“Okay,” Blaine said. “I guess this is goodbye.” _Stay._

Kurt touched the doorknob. Turned and looked at Blaine one last time before leaving. _Stay_.

Blaine looked at the closed door for about ten seconds before throwing it open. “Kurt!”

Kurt turned around, eyes wide. He started walking in Blaine’s direction. By the time he reached Blaine he was visibly shaking. Blaine pulled him back inside and shut the door. “I don’t want you to leave,” he said. It was so rushed it sounded like it was just one word. “I don’t want you to leave—I want you to stay.”

“But you said—”

But Kurt didn’t get to finish because his mouth was pre-occupied.

They kissed like that for minutes, or hours, or days. Blaine didn’t know. All he knew was that it felt the same as it did the first time. Like it was always supposed to happen. Kurt opened his mouth and let Blaine in, arms wrapped around Blaine’s shoulders. “God, Kurt,” he murmured. He pressed his body into Kurt’s until the only thing keeping them separated was Kurt’s shirt.

Blaine’s lips traveled lower, attaching themselves to Kurt’s neck, nibbling and biting and pulling sounds out of Kurt that Blaine hadn’t heard in a decade. And then Kurt was pulling at his own shirt, pulling it up and over his head and throwing it to the side. Blaine moaned, kissing at the skin of his collarbones.

Blaine knew he very well could end up regretting what they were doing. He knew that Kurt could break his heart again. But he wanted this—he _needed_ this. He’d been alone for so long—he’d been lying to himself for so long.

So when they somehow stumbled into his bedroom and fell on the bed, legs entangled and hands traveling, Blaine didn’t think about it. He put the fear away and let himself be loved, feel loved.

———

After, he kept looking over at Kurt, who was dozing next to him. He still looked the same when he was sleeping, despite the time that had passed. He was hardly hidden under the blankets, so Blaine’s eyes kept running over his form, relearning his body. He knew Kurt had gotten larger since they’d been together, but he could really see it right then. The swell of his arms, the muscles in his back.

He grabbed his phone off of the night stand. He snapped a photo. “I bet the blogs are never going to see _this_ one,” he whispered.

He found himself falling asleep after that, exhausted even though the day had hardly even begun.

When he woke up, Kurt was staring at him. “Hey,” he mumbled.

“Hi,” Kurt said. He didn’t sound happy. Fear began to pull at Blaine again, twisting his stomach into knots.

“What’s wrong?” _How could you have been so stupid? Why did you let him stay? He’s just going to leave again—fucking idiot._

“Nothing,” Kurt said. He was lying—Blaine could see it in his face. He sat up, trying to get away. “Where are you going?”

Blaine looked at him, tears threatening to spill from his eyes. “I was stupid to let you stay here—oh _God_ why did I let you stay?” He ran a hand through his hair. “You’re just going to leave—you’re going to leave and I’m going to be here. I’m going to be here, alone, picking up my pieces all over again. You’re just going to say goodbye all over again.”

Kurt sat up and reached over to touch Blaine.“Do you remember what I said to you when I left Dalton?” Blaine just looked at him. “I’m never saying goodbye to you.”

Blaine shook his head and looked away. “I don’t believe you,” he said quietly.

Kurt leaned over and kissed Blaine’s shoulder. “I’m not going anywhere,” he whispered. “I want to be with you.”

Blaine looked over at Kurt, then. “How can you say that? You have everything you could ever want—”

Kurt cut him off with a quick kiss. “I don’t have you,” he said. Blaine kissed him again, pushing him back until he was laying on the bed again.

“Don’t leave me,” he whispered.

Kurt simply pulled Blaine on top of him, hooking a leg around his waist. “I won’t.”

———

Blaine knew that eventually Kurt would have to go back to New York.

That didn’t mean that Blaine hadn’t put it in the back of his mind—opting roll around in bed and forget that they both had actual lives. But about four days later, Kurt finally brought it up.

They had been kissing, Blaine straddling Kurt on the couch. Kurt broke the kiss and pushed Blaine away gently. “What’s wrong?”

Kurt patted Blaine’s hip. “I have to go back to New York soon,” he said quietly. 

Blaine sighed. “I know.” He climbed off of Kurt and sat next to him instead, crossing his legs. “I’m using up all my vacation days.”

Kurt leaned over and kissed Blaine on the forehead. “The children at the hospital need you,” he said.

Blaine rolled his eyes. “Some of them don’t even like me.”

Kurt looked over at him, unconvinced. “You love your job.”

Blaine nodded in defeat. It hadn’t been what he’d dreamed of, but he really did like his job. He loved his kids and he loved working with them. He loved helping making them better. “I do,” he said. “I want you to stay, though.”

Kurt ran a hand through his already mussed up hair. “I know.” He took Blaine’s hand. “But I have to go.”

Blaine didn’t even try to hide the fact that he was afraid of Kurt leaving, that Kurt wouldn’t come back. He wiped away a tear that had welled up. Kurt cupped his Blaine’s face in his hands. “Hey,” he said. “I’m not letting you go. Blaine—please look at me.”

“I’m scared, Kurt,” he whispered.

“I know,” Kurt said. “You could always come with me.”

Blaine stilled.

“What?”

Blaine chewed his lip. “I’m grateful that you’d even consider that,” he said. “But—I need to know that this is real—that we’re going to last this time. I think if we can manage a small amount of time apart, but still remain loyal—I’ll come with you. But I can’t just abandon everything I’ve had for ten years for something that’s only lasted four days.”

Kurt nodded. “I understand.” He looked disappointed.

“A few months,” Blaine said reassuringly. “That’s all.”

“Okay.”

And then Blaine kissed him, and that was that for the rest of the night.

———

The day had come for Kurt to leave a few days later.

“You could still come with me, you know,” Kurt said, kissing the top of Blaine’s head.

“I know…It’s just—I need to stay here a little bit longer.”

Kurt watched his face for a long time, Blaine knew he was searching for doubt. But for the first time in a very long time, there was none. He knew what he wanted. So he lifted his head and kissed Kurt gently on the lips. “Text me when you land?”

Kurt’s lips twist up into an almost invisible smile. “Okay.” He kisses Blaine again and then walks into the airport, turning to look back at Blaine one more time before disappearing into the sea of people.

Blaine kept looking into the crowd, even though he couldn’t see Kurt anymore. And then he turned and went home, waiting until he knew Kurt was on the plane to send him the photo he’d been looking at every day since he’d taken it.

**To: Kurt**

**I love you. I’ll be there soon.**

**Author's Note:**

> I take requests on tumblr. My tumblr is [20xbetterthanu](https://20xbetterthanu.tumblr.com) and you can access my ask box [here](https://20xbetterthanu.tumblr.com/ask) or you could just pop it down in the comments, whichever you'd like.


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